


Drunk Talks (and Sober Confessions)

by chrwrites



Series: Sprint Fics [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), And Luka Loses It, BUT IT'S ALWAYS HALLOWEEN, Drunk Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Flirting, Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Flustered Luka Couffaine, LBSC Sprint Fic Challenge, LISTEN THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE POSTED LIKE TWO WEEKS AGO, Marinette is Dressed Up as Sam Manson, drunkinette, halloween party, well... this is not a sprint fic anymore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27629237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chrwrites/pseuds/chrwrites
Summary: The one where Marinette gets - quite literally - drunk on jealousy.Written for the 28/10/2020 LBSC Sprint Fic Challenge prompt: “I love you.” “Tell me that when you’re sober.”
Relationships: Luka Couffaine & Original Character(s), Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Sprint Fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1981153
Comments: 15
Kudos: 96
Collections: LBSCSprintFicChallenge





	Drunk Talks (and Sober Confessions)

**Author's Note:**

> I was very happy to start working on this prompt and I wanted to do something for Halloween since my Matching Halloween Costumes Fic wasn't ready in time but the writing process for this one has been pretty messy, I had to start from scratch like three times before getting it right, and when I was done with the sprints I had only covered the beginning of the fic, so I went on with writing and I thought I was done when I reached 4k words, but, well... I got carried away during the editing process?  
> It was quite difficult for me to find a reason for Marinette to get drunk, and I decided that the easiest and most obivious way was getting her jealous and insecure (I'm really sorry for this).  
> This is not how I was supposed to introduce my OC but it's not like we're seeing a lot of her in this one, and honestly describing her and building her personality is the reason I'm taking so long with updating Take Me As You Please and I thought that covering her physical appearence somewhere else would make working on it easier for me (I don't want to spoil anything, but I definitely need her in that story ~~and in other stuff I'm working on~~ ).  
> I already mentioned her once in a drabble I posted on my tumblr, and you can read it [here](https://chrwrites.tumblr.com/post/627234456736006144/six-sentence-sunday-23082020i-imagined-luka) if you like, but I have a whole backstory for her that is going to be covered in Take Me As You Please, and this work isn't connected with it.  
> Okay I'll stop with the rambling now because I don't want to bore you, so enjoy my silly not-so-little fic, I had so much fun writing Drunk!Marinette, I hope I did her justice lmao  
> anyways, if you want to learn more about the LBSC Sprint Challenge you can find the rules [here](https://lovebugs-and-snakecharmers.tumblr.com/post/633224658475450369/lbsc-sprint-fic-challenge-1028-1142020)!  
> Enjoy <3

When Luka saw Marinette enter the living room of the Liberty that night, he choked on the drink he was having, and his best friend next to him had to clap on his back until he recovered, his face still red.

_What a perfect beginning for the night_ , he thought.

It didn’t help that Ruby had mixed his drink a bit too strong for his liking and his throat was burning when he turned his gaze back to Marinette.

Why did he let his sister organize a Halloween party on the boat, anyway? He didn’t even like big parties, he could have just said no, but then Rose had pleaded him with her signature puppy eyes and there was no way he was saying no to that.

Not to mention that he really wanted to see Marinette. He had been busy between work and university and her last year of _lycée_ had her stressing over the _BAC_ ever since the beginning of the school year. They hadn’t been able to hang out properly in a while, and… he missed her. He had been looking forward to seeing her again, he just didn't expect her to look like... like this.

Now that she walked in the room, Luka felt breathless. It was like he was looking at someone else, even though he could still see all her sweetness under a costume he would have never imagined seeing on her.

Her blue eyes looked a shade darker under the purple eyeshadow that merged with black at the side of her eyelids, and her usually pink lips were tinted purple to match. Luka took another sip from his cup before bringing his attention to the rest of the look.

Marinette’s black hair was tied in a half bun, and the free strands fell on a black crop top that sported a purple skull in the middle. A checkered black and green skirt wrapped around her hips, ending a few inches above her knees, and her legs were covered by a thin layer of purple fabric. Where did she get those combat boots?

_Okay, breathe Luka. It’s not like your crush has dressed up as your first fictional crush. It’s fine, it’s fine. You can go to her, tell her how much you like her costume and how much you wish to-_

“You’re drooling”, Ruby’s amused voice called him back to reality, and he almost snapped his neck as he turned to look at her, hoping that the heat he felt on his cheeks wasn’t visible, but the knowing glint in her eyes told him the exact opposite.

Didn’t they watch Danny Phantom every time they had sleepovers when they were younger? And as Ruby said how cool Sam Manson was and how she wanted to be like her, he ended up telling himself that he was going to marry someone like her, and she’d scold him because “We’re besties and I’m not marrying you, that’s _gross_ ”. Luka grew out of his _punk-girls-can-step-on-me_ phase – or at least he thought he did _until now_ – after his first break up, and then he met Marinette and decided that pink was his favourite colour because it was cute and soft and _Marinette_.

Despite knowing that she could pull off anything, Luka didn’t expect her to look so good in darker colours.

Okay, let’s face it, he just wasn’t ready to see her like this.

“Who would’ve guessed that the cute baker’s daughter would have gotten you all worked up within five minutes in being in the same room as you. That’s a record, Lu”, Ruby snickered and grabbed a bottle from the table beside them, filling his cup again, “You need another drink”.

Luka didn’t protest and brought the cup to is lips as he looked back at Marinette, taking another good chunk of his drink and not caring for the burn he felt in his throat this time.

She was talking to Adrien and complimenting him for his Ladybug inspired costume, and if she blushed it was only because she felt flattered and not because of that huge crush she used to have on him.

If this had happened a year ago, she would have been gushing about the fact that her crush was dressed up as her superhero alterego and would have been freaking out, but now she just laughed. She didn’t even stammer around him anymore, and she was glad that she could finally cherish their friendship now.

There was someone else in her heart, someone with a bright smile and the sweetest voice and the deepest blue eyes she’d ever seen, and she had finally gathered the courage to tell him how she felt. That was the perfect night, she had dressed up for him, her parents were away for the weekend so she had no curfew to think about, and that meant that she could enjoy Luka’s company for as long as she wanted. And she had been preparing for this moment for a while, too. From the dress to the words she would have said to him, and she had to do now was hoping not to be rejected.

Luka had always been there for her, and now that she was finally ready to face her feelings for him, she hoped he’d still be there, in a different but better way.

Marinette’s eyes wandered around the room looking for him, and among some unfamiliar faces – that she supposed were his friends – she found him, standing in a corner of the room and smiling to a girl that was sticking out her tongue at him. Wait, was he blushing?

Of course he was, she was gorgeous.

Crimson hair, green eyes framed by a thin line of eyeliner, and the red on her lips didn’t look obnoxious. A plain black choker decorated her neck, and the long-sleeved crop top she was wearing left her stomach exposed, the ripped skinny jeans only helped accentuating the curves of her body.

She was the perfect mix between punk and stylish. And she was tall, not as much as him, but enough that she didn’t have to pull herself on her tiptoes to kiss him. _It’s not like Marinette had thought about it, anyway._

Now that she looked at him having fun with someone that was just like him, she felt pathetic. Marinette was ready to tell him how she was in love with him, and all her hopes were shattered. Gone. She had missed her chance.

Whoever she was, she was a much better fit for him, anyway, beautiful and cool and just perfect. And Marinette was just… Marinette, trying to fit in clothes that weren’t meant for her just to impress him. She was young and stupid, and she had dressed up while both Luka and the other girl were in low effort costumes. Luka was wearing his everyday clothes but wore the black eyeliner he usually put on when he performed and brought out his eyes, and the red-haired girl managed to pull off cat ears without looking awkward or dumb.

Marinette felt stupid for hoping that Luka would have answered her feelings and cursed herself for not being able to speak up sooner. She sighed, deciding to deal with how much of an idiot she was the only way a mature and responsible person of age could deal with their problems, “Shots, anyone?”.

Alya gave her a cup to drink from, and Luka found himself staring at Marinette’s painted black nails from where he was when Ruby called his attention, passing him another full cup of liquor mixed with juice.

“Are you going to talk to her?”, she asked.

“I’m not sure I can talk to her while trying to control the impulse to jump her”, Luka sighed, fiddling with the cup in his hand. He felt breathless just by looking at her, how could he expect to talk to her? He hadn’t gathered enough liquid courage to walk to her just yet.

Besides, Marinette was with her friends, and he couldn’t just walk to her and tell her how he thought that she looked great and he couldn’t take his eyes off her, just the way she smiled and her lashes fluttered under the lights they had set was making him weak, and how that look fit her was just… incredible. But he also thought that her clothes would look better on his–

“Woah, when did it go from “She’s the music in my heart” to this?”, Ruby snickered, raising one eyebrow at him.

“Oh, shut up”, Luka groaned, downing part of his drink to drown his thoughts.

He shouldn’t have been thinking about her sister’s friend in that way in the first place, but he couldn’t really help himself when she was the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen.

“Really, though, I don’t think staring at her like a creep is the way to go”, Ruby said.

Luka sighed, focusing his attention on the drink he was holding, and reprimanding himself for thinking about her in that way.

Maybe avoiding her was the best idea, but just as the thought of moving to a less crowded room to not see her crossed his mind, Marinette’s happy voice called his name, “Luka!”.

He looked up, and all he saw was the bright smile Marinette was giving him.

He felt his heart miss a beat when he noticed that the pick he had given her the first time they met was dangling from the choker she was wearing. Luka brought his cup to his mouth again, chugging some of his drink, hoping that some more alcohol would have helped him to at least spit out some words and kill the wild thoughts forming in his mind. But all Luka could focus on was the way the purple and white piece of plastic fit perfectly in the middle of her pale neck and the curve of Marinette’s exposed shoulders and how he wanted to–

“You’re wearing an amazing costume! Don’t you think so, Lu?”

Luka straightened up as soon as he felt something hit his foot, and Ruby was giving him a tight smile and nudging her head at Marinette begging him with her eyes to _speak for goodness' sake_. Luka winced, but was grateful that she had opted for canvas shoes instead of combat boots that night.

He looked at Marinette again and it didn’t take long for him to get the same awestruck expression he had been sporting since she walked into the room. He was too distracted from the vision that she was in that moment that all his stupid mouth had managed to choke out was a “It’s... very good”, that earned him a disappointed pout from Marinette, and a very exasperated sigh from his best friend.

“Just good?”, Marinette giggled, and tried to twirl around but ended up tripping on her feet. Luka promptly leaned forward to catch her and Marinette let out a happy intoxicated laugh, clasping her hands on his shoulders, “I’m mad at you now”, she said, faintly trying to put some distance between them. Luka waited until she straightened up before letting his hands leave her waist, and he couldn’t control the small chuckle that left his lips.

Marinette grinned and took one step closer to him, raising one finger to his face, “I can’t really be mad at you now, can I? You have the prettiest smile”.

Luka gulped, feeling his cheeks heat up at the compliment, “You’re drunk, Mari”, he stated, more to himself than to her.

“I don’t know, maybe? I feel so good, Luka! And I need to talk to you”, she said, the alcohol in her body giving her the confidence she didn’t have sober.

Luka shook his head as he fought the fond expression forming on his face, “Let’s go grab some water first”.

“But I want to talk now!”, the girl in front of him whined, and closed the distance between them placing her head on his shoulder. Luka’s breath hitched and he had to force himself to focus on something different than the very drunk Marinette that was clumsily wrapping her arms around him.

Luka sighed, looking down at her as she nuzzled her face on his neck, “You smell so nice!”.

“Marinette”, he called, trying to gently pull her away from him enough to fill a cup with water and give it to her.

“Yes, that’s my name!”, she chirped, taking the cup he offered and chugging it down. A drop of water fell from the corner of her lips, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. Luka had to look away from her, trying to hold back the thoughts forming in his mind.

“Water is so good!”, she laughed, tumbling towards him again, this time Luka placed his hands on her bare arms to steady her.

“Ah, Luka! Have I ever told you how great I think you are? You never fail to catch me”.

The surprised look on Luka’s face turned into a soft expression rather than a concerned one, but he still couldn’t manage to say something to her, or at least thank her for the compliment. And as he stood silent, Marinette suddenly grabbed his hand, pulling him with her and walking away with him. Where did she find that strength?

He tried to pull away from her and looked back at his friend for help, who grinned and raised her cup to him, winking. She _winked_. Marinette was going to kill him and Ruby didn’t even raise one finger to help him.

_Traitor_.

If he got through that night without doing something he could regret in the morning he was going to reconsider all of his friendships. A friend doesn’t let you leave with your crush hand in h– okay, maybe he was overreacting, but having Marinette’s hand intertwined with his didn’t really help with thinking straight, especially when he had knocked down a few drinks, too.

“Marinette what–”, he called, trying to remain as calm as possible as she dragged him through the corridor that led to the bedroom he shared with Juleka. She tripped on her feet more than once, and Luka decided it was safer for her to be carried than to walk, “Oh Luka you’re soooo strong”, Marinette laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. He could feel her warm breath on his skin along with the cloying smell of peach vodka, and he forced himself not to focus on that and instead worked on opening the door to his room without making Marinette fall.

When he managed to get inside and shuffle to his bed, Marinette didn’t seem to want to let go of him and she pulled him down with her when he tried to lay her down.

He ended up laying on top of her for a split second before he quickly moved to sit up on his bed. Marinette's giggles died down and she was looking at him, eyes glassy and cheeks a deep shade of pink.

Luka looked away from her and inhaled a deep breath before suddenly feeling her shift and wrap her arms around him. Her laughter was way too cheerful and he forced himself not to think about the way her hands touched his skin or how her hair tickled his neck or how she was sitting on his lap. _Shit_.

“Luka, you’re really amazing”, she raised her head to look at him, getting way too close than necessary, and he had to put his hands on her shoulders to put some distance between them.

“Marinette, please, don’t make it harder than it already is”, he said, trying to catch his breath.

“Why, is it hard?”, she asked innocently, and tilted her head, “I’m just saying the truth”. 

Oh God, now he really needed another drink as strong as those Ruby made.

Marinette blinked slowly, and brought one hand to his cheek, slowly tracing his features with her fingers, “You’re so gorgeous... And talented... And kind... And caring... And I love the sound of your voice... And when you play for me...”, her voice was low as the words tumbled out slowly from her mouth.

She looked sincere, almost like she knew what she wanted to say and it wasn’t the alcohol talking for her. The giddy smile wasn’t leaving her face as she traced his lips, and Luka felt his skin burn where it had been graced by her touch.

He knew that it was wrong. He knew it. And he knew that he had to stop her. So why was his body completely frozen? Why didn’t his mouth dare to open?

“And I really, really love you Luka”, Marinette closed her eyes and leaned in, pressing her forehead into his. Luka could feel the beat of his heart getting quicker, and he shivered as soon as the words left her mouth, his stomach twisting unpleasantly. That was too much.

He gulped, his trembling hands gently pulling her away and his body shifting further from her as much as the length of his bed allowed.

“T-tell me that when you’re sober”, he choked on his words, and he took a deep breath to gather himself.

Marinette didn’t seem to notice his change in behaviour and laughed, “But I love you now, too! And tomorrow I will be sober, but I will still love you! And I’ll tell you again. I promise!”, she blabbered, the glint in her eyes was killing him as she adjusted herself on his lap again.

“Marinette, please.”, Luka pleaded, trying to get her off him.

God, had they been in a different situation he wouldn’t have complained at all. If she had been clinging onto him sober, he would have happily carried her around, and he’d love it. And maybe he’d spend the rest of the night telling her how beautiful she was, how much he adored her costume and how dark colours suited her. Had they been in a different situation, he would’ve–

No, he wasn’t supposed to think about this now.

Luka sighed and made her settle down on his bed, taking off her shoes, “Why don’t you sleep it off? We can talk about it tomorrow”. _If you still remember this._

Marinette looked at him, blinking through her long lashes, “Will you sleep with me?”.

Luka’s mouth went dry. He looked at her, her hair going in different directions on his pillow and his hand was reaching for her cheek before he realized what it was doing and pulled it away.

He looked away, trying to find something that he could do for her that didn’t involve her looking at him.

“How about I get you something more comfortable to wear?”, he asked, clearing his throat and walking to his closet.

“No, I like what I’m wearing! But if you don’t, I can take it off, you didn’t seem to like it anyway”, she said, sitting on his bed and reaching for the hem of her top.

“No no no”, Luka said quickly as he ran to her and put his hands on hers to stop her, his eyes wide.

Marinette raised her head, looking at him adoringly.

“Have your eyes always been this blue? They’re beautiful”.

Luka gulped as he felt heat rising to his cheeks, and turned his gaze away from her.

_She’s drunk, there’s no way she means what she's saying. She’ll forget about it tomorrow and I can deal with this, I’m not leaving her alone._

“Wanna know something fun?”, Marinette sat back up and crossed her legs, “I really, _really_ want to kiss you now”, her words were tangling on her tongue, but he wished he didn’t hear them since his chest started to ache.

No, he couldn’t handle this.

She was grinning at him widely, looking like she knew what she was doing, and leaned her chin on her hand, staring directly into his eyes, “Do you want to kiss me?”.

Okay, this was a bad dream, all Luka had to do was take a deep breath and ignore the beautiful girl sitting in his bed looking way too tempting for him. Then he’d wake up and everything would be fine and Marinette would still be the girl he was in love with, but she hadn’t told him that she wanted to kiss him like she really meant it.

Too bad it felt too real and he had to fight the need to kiss that stupid beautiful grin off her face for so many different reasons.

_She is drunk and I would never take advantage of her._

_She doesn’t really love me._

_This is wrong._

Luka bit his lip until it hurt before speaking again, “You know what? I’ll do it if you tell me all this again when you’re sober”.

His eyes widened as his brain registered the words that slipped from his mouth and brought one hand to his face. That was probably the alcohol doing the talking for him as well.

The whine Marinette let out was adorable, and Luka tried to keep a straight face as she put her lips into a pout, “But I wanna kiss you now!”, she crossed her arms.

Luka shook his head, and that was enough for her to sigh and fall back on his bed, stretching out her legs on his lap after he felt safe enough to sit at the bottom of the bed.

“Fine, tomorrow I will tell you all of this, and I will tell you more! Like how I draw your face when I feel uninspired, and how I listen to you singing when I can’t sleep, and about the jacket I’m–”, Marinette stopped her rambling and brought one hand to her mouth before bursting into loud giggles, “Shhh… That’s supposed to be a secret!”.

When her laughter died down, she pressed her index to her mouth and looked at him through half-lidded eyes, “Aw, Luka, am I making you blush now?”, she whispered.

Luka let out a shaky breath and slid away from her legs, getting up.

Being alone in the same room with her had never been this hard, he pinched his nose with his fingers, begging himself to stay calm, and walked back to her. She was looking at him with tired eyes, seemingly out of energy.

“Sleep now”, he said patiently, his voice sweeter than he expected it to be as he tugged her under the covers.

Marinette let out a tired sigh as she closed her eyes, “Wait… I need to take off… Make-up”, she mumbled, and lazily waved one hand to her face.

Luka couldn’t help but chuckle at her, “Hold on, I’ll do it”, he reassured and walked to Juleka’s vanity to get the cleansing wipes for her.

He sat on the floor in front of Marinette before taking one of the wet wipes from the package and starting to remove the make up on her face with gentle strokes. She shrieked and suddenly turned her head on the other side, giggling, “It tickles!”.

Luka let out a laugh of his own as he moved the wipe to carefully clean her eyes. Marinette seemed not to be bothered by his movements and let out a content sigh, leaning towards his delicate touch and blabbering comments on how he was so nice and good and everything.

“I’m all ugly now”, Marinette whined as she watched Luka take another wipe from the package.

“You know that’s not true, Mari”, Luka said softly.

“Sei così dolce, Luka!”, she sighed happily, “Do you think I’m pretty?”

“I think you’re beautiful”, Luka couldn’t help but whisper, and if his hand lingered a little longer on her cheek, Marinette didn’t seem to complain.

“I think you’re beautiful, too!”, she chirped, but then her brows furrowed in confusion, “Wait, no… you don’t use that for men, you’re… what’s the word? Whatever, you’re very good-looking”, she laughed, “Very much good-looking”.

Luka had lost count of the times Marinette left him breathless that night, “Stay still now”, he breathed out before gently moving her face so he could take the make-up off the other part of her face. She nodded, and closed her eyes again, relaxing under his touch.

He had to use three wipes to take all the make-up off, and he had yet to remove the purple on her lips. He had avoided them carefully, knowing that if he touched them, he would have probably combusted on the spot.

Luka took a deep steadying breath before he started to wipe away the purple from her lips with a shaky hand, revealing the soft peachy colour he loved so much.

The hint of an intoxicated smile was still on her lips as he gingerly removed the last hint of purple, admiring how soft and beautiful she looked without any make-up, her bangs falling messily on her forehead only accentuated her beauty.

He switched off the light to the room with his free hand and kept his gaze on her. She hadn’t made any sound since he started taking off the make up from her lips, probably asleep by now, and Luka indulged himself in keeping the hand that was still on her lips there.

The city lights coming through the porthole made her seem ethereal, hell, she _was_ ethereal. Luka felt at peace just by looking at her. He took a moment to memorize her features before he gathered himself and slowly pulled away his hand, but just as he did it, Marinette stuck out her tongue and licked the back of his hand.

“Marinette!”, Luka shrieked, rubbing his hand on his jeans as the girl in front of him giggled again, “Ha! I got you!”, she garbled.

Luka didn’t bother to fight the soft expression forming on his face this time, he got up and pulled the now dishevelled covers on her as her giggles died down.

“Sleep, Mari”, he whispered softly, and Marinette brought the covers close to her face, letting out a happy sigh, “’Night Lu, thank you for being soooo lovely. You’re the best”.

Luka stood silent for a moment as Marinette closed her eyes, finally drifting to sleep.

He got lost in studying her features again, and this time he wasn’t able to resist the temptation to brush her cheek with his fingers. Her skin was soft and warm and her lips were slightly parted. There was a part of him that wanted to stay with her all night, hold her and make sure that she was okay and had everything she needed. But he couldn’t, and he felt like he had taken too much from her already.

He shook himself from his thoughts and got up, heading back to the living room.

It was after he left his room that he noticed that the music wasn’t playing anymore, and the only people he found in the room were Rose and Juleka. How long did he stay in his room with Marinette?

Luka took a bag and started throwing empty bottles and cups in it, intentionally avoiding his sister’s inquisitive gaze. He stood silent as he helped the two girls tidying up, trying to force himself not to think about what happened earlier.

He was doing fine until Juleka and Rose decided they were done with the cleaning and he had to tell them that Marinette was sleeping in his bed and not wake her up. Both Luka and Juleka had to hush Rose’s excited squeals, and he had to repeat that it wasn’t how it looked like for countless times before she calmed down and stopped saying how “Alya was right!”.

Did Luka want to know what she meant with that? Not really, so he just invited his sister and her girlfriend to go to sleep. Juleka didn’t make any comment, instead took Rose's hand and pulled her away with her.

Luka kept cleaning up with the sole purpose to distract himself from the fact that the girl of his dreams was sleeping in his bed looking like a goddess and drunkenly told him that she loved him. If only that was true. He should have been feeling tired, but all he could feel was the giddiness Marinette’s words gave him.

_I will still love you tomorrow_

_I listen to you singing when I can’t sleep_

_I draw you_

_I really want to kiss you_

_I love you_

The sun was rising when he finally let himself collapse on the couch, not bothering to cover himself with a blanket or even check his phone for unread messages.

Marinette’s voice was still ringing in his head. There was a small part of him that hoped for her words to be true, but he knew from experience that a drunk mind didn’t always speak a sober heart. And with that in mind, he let himself fall asleep.

* * *

It took Marinette a while to understand where she was when she woke up that morning, and the comforting scent of ocean salt and musk hit her before the nausea and the headache did. And if that wasn’t enough, as soon as she realized that she was in Luka’s room, the memories of the previous night came to her mind and... _Shit_.

She got up from the bed and groaned when she felt her head spin so hard that she had to sit back. The tights were making her skin itchy and the skirt she was wearing had raised, leaving her legs exposed. She closed her eyes, trying to find enough strength to get up and leave. Maybe she could transform and get home, didn’t Tikki say that her powers could cure weakened bodies? That was perfect! She’d transform and she’d already feel better, then she could get home and forget about everything she did the night before and no one would ask questions.

She wouldn’t even have to confront Luka about what she said to him and he’d forget about her being stupid. She just needed to find the strength to get up and leave and– but that wouldn’t have been fair to Luka, and the least she could do was tell him that she was sorry for having been... the way that she was the night before. She took him away from someone else and he had the patience to stay with her even when she shamelessly tried to hit on him. He had been so respectful to her, he deserved at least to know that she was grateful for him taking care of her. She just needed to not look at him in the eyes and let her embarrassment sink in her stomach, she’d have the whole afternoon to loathe about it anyway. Did she really tell him that she loved him?

Oh, this was not how she planned to tell him how she felt about him! And there was someone else in his heart now!

Marinette cringed at the thought and squeezed her eyes, massaging her temples.

When she opened her eyes again, she found some folded clothes and a toothbrush on the nightstand. Did Luka leave them there after she fell asleep? She felt her cheeks heat just thinking about the way he took care of her the night before, how she leaned on his gentle touch, how he had been delicate and sweet... and how she, on the other hand, had been a complete mess.

God, she had been so stupid.

She took a deep breath before finally getting up, grabbing the clothes and going to the bathroom to change, wash her face and brush her teeth. She put on the pair of black leggings that were probably Juleka’s and the forest green sweatshirt. The sleeves covered her hands, so she had to roll them up while she tried not to focus on the fact that the sweatshirt smelled just like the bed she woke up in.

She tied her hair in a messy bun, but avoided looking in the mirror, too ashamed of the judgemental look her reflection would have given her.

There was already Tikki to do that, anyway, and just as Marinette thought about her Kwami, she appeared by her side, the glint in her eyes matching more the god of Destruction than her, “I’m glad you allowed yourself to loosen up a little”, she chimed, and Marinette groaned.

“Why didn’t you stop me? Luka probably hates me now!”, Marinette whined and sat on the edge of the bathtub, putting her head in her hands.

This was awful, and confronting Luka was going to be a complete disaster.

Tikki shook her head and floated next to Marinette’s ear, “Believe me, Marinette, he could never hate you”.

Her words didn’t seem to reassure her, and Marinette looked down, letting her hands fall on her lap. What could she say to him now?

_Hey I’m sorry I love you and I had to tell you that while drunk because I can’t even look at you in the eyes for too long when I’m sober?_

_I’m sorry I’m stupid and you had to deal with me all night?_

It wasn’t until Tikki leaned her paw on her cheek that Marinette raised her head and got up, hoping that whatever damage she had done could be fixed, or that Luka was understanding enough to give her another chance. She faced her reflection on the mirror, fixing the mess that her hair had become and taking deep breaths, mentally preparing herself for the worse. When she finally opened the door and walked to the living room, she heard music coming from the galley.

_Like handprints in wet cement, she touched me it’s permanent._

Luka was standing with his back turned to her, his head was bobbing to the rhythm as he stirred something on a bowl, “ _I cannot hide these feelings, I'd give up everything for you_ _”_ , he hummed, his voice soft and low. Marinette gulped as she looked at him moving swiftly around the galley, putting the flour away in the cupboard and cleaning the counter. His hair was mussed and the way his t-shirt stretched on his body made her blush for the thoughts running through her mind, as if the headache wasn't enough. He was still singing when he turned on the stove and the sweet smell of pancakes filled the room, and Marinette didn’t dare to make her presence known, he was too lost in the music and she was enjoying watching him more than she’d admit.

She kept admiring him as he sang along to another song and turned to put a plate full of pancakes on the table, “ _I swear to God, I never fall in love, then you showed up and I–_ Oh _”,_ his eyes widened, and he scrambled to get the phone from his pocket to stop the music.

“You’re awake”, he stated as the room went quiet, and Marinette felt her cheeks burn. She nodded slowly and looked at her feet, biting her lip hesitantly, she couldn’t look at him in the eyes, afraid of what she could see.

“How are you feeling?”, Luka asked, there was care in his voice and Marinette wished she could disappear right in that moment.

“I’m fine”, she said, fiddling with the hem of his sweatshirt. Luka looked away from her, focusing his attention on his surroundings as he tried not to think how pretty she looked while wearing his clothes and being just herself.

“Do you feel like eating something?”, Luka broke his silence, and Marinette took a deep breath before turning her gaze on him. There was smudged make up under his eyes, and she felt her cheeks heat up again at the way he looked at her, “You’ve already done so much for me Luka, I don’t want to bother–”.

“You’re not bothering me”, Luka interrupted, and Marinette gulped as he pointed at the chair beside him and smiled at her reassuringly. She sat down and he moved the plate of pancakes to her before turning his attention to the stove, turning it back on and preparing his breakfast again. Marinette took one banana from the fruit bowl in front of her and started cutting it in slices, letting them fall on the food he’d prepared, “Eat it while it’s warm”, Luka said, putting a jar of honey and a bowl full of berries on the table.

Marinette nibbled the pancake slowly, giving Luka a grateful smile when he settled in front of her with his plate and a bottle of painkillers for her.

They ate in silence at first, and it was only when Marinette’s plate was half empty that she found the energy to speak, “Listen… Uh… About last night…”, she started, and Luka raised his head from his plate to look at her, “It’s okay, Marinette. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to”, he said, his voice as calm as ever.

Marinette swallowed and focused back on her plate, the silence that fell between them was uneasy and unnatural from what she was used to. It wasn’t right.

She emptied her plate in silence and took the medicine, downing it with some water before daring to glance at like again. When Luka finished his breakfast, he got up to take her plate.

“No, I’ll do it”, Marinette said, taking the plate before he did and getting up just as her head started spinning again. She stumbled in front of him, and Luka promptly caught her, putting his hands on her shoulders to steady her just as he did the previous night. Marinette felt her throat go dry as she looked up at him, she could feel his breath on her skin and it took more effort than she imagined to move to the side to put their plates in the sink.

Luka stood where she’d left him, keeping his warm gaze on her.

She couldn’t bear the awkwardness that came with staying with him, that wasn’t them. Being with him was so natural, it shouldn’t have been difficult now. She could tell him how she felt and then he’d talk and he’d be gentle even if he had to break her heart and Marinette would be okay eventually, right? Even if he wanted nothing to do with her later.

She felt her heart sink just at the thought, but it didn’t stop her from placing her hands on the counter, and taking a deep breath to gather herself. Then she finally turned to him, managing to look straight into his eyes, “I need to talk to you about last night”, she said slowly.

Luka nodded and walked to her, leaning his back against the counter and looking at her in the eyes, preparing himself for what he wasn’t ready to hear.

_I’m sorry, I didn’t mean what I said last night._

He gulped, trying to focus only on her instead of what was going on inside his head.

“I–“, Marinette sighed, taking another deep breath before continuing, “This is not how I expected this to go. I mean, I never had the courage to talk to you about this until yesterday, and I thought I was finally ready to tell you everything, and I dressed up hoping to catch your attention because I wanted to feel… confident. I always feel confident around you, I just– I don’t know, this sounds stupid now. But I dressed up for you, and I hoped that you would notice me…”, she looked down.

“Marinette, I–”

“Let me finish first”, Marinette requested, “You didn’t even look at me, and I saw you with someone else and you kept avoiding me, so I thought that I missed my chance. And that if she makes you happy I don’t have any right to claim you. I just– I’m sorry for how I acted, and for being so stupid and for getting in the way. But… I need you to know that I meant what I said last night, it wasn’t the alcohol doing the talking. I love you, Luka”.

Luka’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. That was too much information to register at once, and he had to take a moment to just look at her and ask himself if he was dreaming again. There she was, Marinette leaving him speechless again.

“Listen, if you don’t want to talk to me anymore, I understand. I just had to tell you this once…”

“Marinette, I would never not want to talk to you”, Luka said promptly, and her mouth twisted when he looked at her. There was confusion in his eyes, and his expression seemed thoughtful.

God, he had so many things to say to her. Like how he couldn’t believe that she meant what she said, how she didn’t have to change to impress him because she was gorgeous and he could never take his eyes off her. (Yes, yesterday she blew up his mind, but that was another story and it didn’t help that someone who knew his weak spots had been hitting them all night before Marinette came to him.)

He wanted to tell her that he was sorry for avoiding her but he couldn’t bare stay in the same room as her without staring at her and how much he loved her and why would she think that he had a girlfriend in the first place?

“Do you think that if I were seeing someone, which to be clear, I’m not, I wouldn’t tell you?”, he asked.

Marinette lowered her head, “N-no… but you’ve stayed all night with that girl and you were all flustered and she’s hot and she’s just like you and I just– I assumed that you were a thing?”, she didn’t dare to say the word “girlfriend” because just the thought of it made her heart ache.

Luka couldn’t control the laugh that escaped from his lips, and Marinette raised her head to glare at him, “I’m serious Luka!”, she said, pushing him away.

That was enough for him to calm down, and his hands reached for her face, he looked at her in the eyes, amusement still clear in his voice, “You’re talking about the girl with red hair right? That’s my best friend”.

Marinette’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened as her mind processed the information, “Oh.”

Luka chuckled, and Marinette felt her cheeks burn so hard she had to cover her face with her hands, “I’m so sorry”, she said.

Luka was still smiling when he let his hands reach for hers and he gently pulled them away from her face, “Let me look at you, please”, he whispered, making Marinette shiver. She gulped when she faced him, the soft look in his eyes making her blush again.

His thumbs brushed the back of her hands as he looked for the words to say and comforted her at the same time.

“She was teasing me because of you”, he said eventually, “I got all stupid because I saw you and you looked so different I couldn’t stop staring at you or thinking how good you looked that I thought avoiding you was the best idea. You were mesmerizing, you always are. And you don’t have to change for me to like you because I like you the way you are. I just never expected you to wear anything close to that style so I was struck, and I started acting dumb.”, he concluded, letting out a deep breath.

Marinette’s mouth formed a small ‘o’. God, now she really felt stupid. If he wasn’t holding her hands, she would have slapped herself.

The way Luka was looking at her was making her heart pound loudly in her chest as she registered his words. _He likes me. Luka likes me. Oh my God, he LIKES me._

“So… you like _like_ me?”, she asked, hesitantly.

“I thought it was pretty clear by now”, Luka stated, taking one step towards her.

A wide grin spread on Marinette's face, and she tried to bit it down unsuccesfully. Luka didn’t turn his gaze away from her this time. Instead, he raised his hand to cup her cheek, enjoying the warmth she emanated.

“Just to make sure... You’re not mad at me for trying to hit on you while I was drunk, right?”

Luka gave her a fond smile and thumbed her cheek, “I couldn’t be even if I wanted to. Besides, you meant everything you said, right?”

Marinette blushed as she remembered all the words she said to him, but nodded, “Y-Yes...”, she breathed out, and when she looked into his eyes and saw that all of her feelings were reciprocated, she didn’t hesitate to let the words fall from her mouth again, “I love you, Luka”, and Luka answered pressing his forehead on hers, “I love you too”.

They stood in silence, enjoying each other’s presence quietly until Marinette placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned closer, “Can I kiss you now?”, she whispered, her gaze dropping to his red lips.

A wicked grin appeared on Luka’s face as he closed the distance between them, “Are you sure you’re not still drunk?”, he teased.

Marinette gasped and tried to shove him away unsuccessfully since he promptly grabbed her waist and pulled her closer, "I'm just kidding", he said, the happy smile not leaving his face.

She shook her head, but her breath caught in her throat as their eyes met again, and when he leaned in to finally kiss her, all Marinette could think about was how good his lips felt on hers.

**Author's Note:**

> Before I forget: "Sei così dolce" means "You're so sweet" in Italian and since I tend to mix languages when I'm drunk I figured I could make Marinette do the same bc I found it funny. And in case you were wondering, listening to Machine Gun Kelly's latest album helped me a lot with writing this to the point I almost named the fic "kiss the bottle" 😂  
> There's a part of me that wants to cover Luka showing his appreciation for Marinette's halloween costume a little more and maybe have him asking about the jacket Marinette talked about the night before, so I was thinking of adding a little snippet of what happens _later_ between them and make things a little bit spicy because come on who doesn't like making out on the kitchen counter? I'll try to fit this in three sprints if I decide to go on with it, but it has to wait for now.  
> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think, I hope you liked it <3


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